Landscape has changed for Rob Turner

When the Titans signed free agent offensive lineman Rob Turner on March 20, it looked as if he might have a decent shot at earning a starting position.

The Titans were looking to fill their vacant right guard spot and the 6-foot-4, 308-pound Turner was coming off his best season as a pro, having started all 16 games for the Rams last year.

The landscape here changed quite a bit, however, when the Titans selected Chance Warmack with the 10th overall pick in the draft in April. Assuming the 6-2, 317-pound Warmack lives up to his potential, he’ll be the starting right guard this year.

The Titans also added to the interior offensive line by drafting center Brian Schwenke and signing versatile veteran Chris Spencer (89 starts).

“Anywhere you go, you expect competition,” Turner said. “It’s not anything I didn’t expect coming in. Some guys don’t thrive in competition, but with any team, if you don’t have competition, guys get complacent. That’s across the board, across the league. If you’re not pushing yourself, you need somebody else pushing you. So I think it’s a positive thing.”

Turner has played some center in his career, so he could conceivably compete with Fernando Velasco and Schwenke for that starting spot. But he’s more likely to become a valuable reserve, one who spent the first five years of his career in a similar role with the Jets behind talented players such as Alan Faneca, Nick Mangold and Brandon Moore.

“I was a role player and understood that. Guys got dinged up, but we never missed a beat when I had to play,” Turner said. “But even in that, there was competition. Every year, there was a guy trying to take my spot or I was fighting to break into the starting lineup, things of that nature.

“That’s why I say competition is something you expect. If you don’t expect that, you’re on your way out, no matter where you are.”